Tuesday 9 July 2013

Farne Islands: Possible roseate tern

A pair of roseate terns have been on the Farne Islands all summer, I'm not sure if they have attempted to nest.

Here is a photo (I think) of one of them with an arctic tern behind for comparison.

The key points to note are:

  • Overall whitish colour to upper parts
  • Tail streamers that extend well beyond wing tips
  • Dark edges to outer primaries



The bill and leg colour is clearly different to the arctic tern, but the bill should be black with a possible red base. In this bird the bill appears to be a 'dirty' red colour throughout its length.

I would be interested in anyones comments, currently I have this down as a 'rosy'.

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